Not what but why...

[romeo-1]

I have found a couple of these minieballs recently with a wooden plug in the nose. Can anyone shed some light on why they would have this plug? They are .577 calibre Snider Enfield bullets. Thanks for the insight!

 

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[gtfd47]

Not 100% sure, but I do know, that it was common for people to put poisons ect in the head of bullets, under the idea that if the bullet did not kill you, the infection would. This maybe along the same lines. Either the wood was soaked in some agent then placed in the tip, or it was in their to splinter on impact. Either way, the bullet would be removed if it didnt kill you, but infection would occur and would finish you off.

goose

 

[COUNTRY GIRL]

This was an accident, i was looking for something else and came across this in my American Revolution book.

It's a fuse, leading to an internal powder charge for exploding among the enemy.

Nice find!

 

[dugupfinds]

I already have the Copy Right on the "Not What but Why" phrase.

This is a guess:

Alot of the lead bullets of this type (I have found a few hundred on my range) blow out the end. ie. on firing the gas blow a hole in the end of the bullet, making it less effective. So is it trying to stop this happening

 

[hasbeen]

Here's why

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-141344134.html

hasbeen

 

[Montana Jim]

Here's why

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-141344134.html

hasbeen

That's interesting...

 

[romeo-1]

Ahhh...I knew about the Snider conversion but not the wooden plugs...good post!

 

[BioProfessor]

I'm a bit confused. Nothing unusual for me. I asked people to respond to one of my posts and tell me if I was stupid. We'll they did and I guess I am. But this bullet doesn't make sense to me. I can understand the clay and wax still being there but wood?? Buried in the ground for almost 150 years and not consumed by critters. Was it treated to? It just seems it would be long gone. Don't tell me I'm stupid again. I got it the first time.

Daryl

 

[Jeffro]

No you're not stupid, just missed something maybe. In the link above, the article states the clay plugs were soaked in beeswax. Maybe they did the same with the wood?


"Quoting from the 1887 Treatise on Ammunition, "The bullet is made from pure lead, weight 480 grains, the hollow in the head is closed by having the lead spun over it, the hollow parts being necessary in order to get the bullet of sufficient length for good shooting, without unduly increasing its weight, and to get its center of gravity in the proper place, the hollow in the base is also used to give the expansive action to the bullets. The plug, made of clay, and soaked in beeswax, closes the rear cavity, and on firing expands the bullet." Sounds exactly like a P-1853 Enfield Minie ball being loaded in a brass cartridge case! Essentially, it was.

A thoughtful reader in Canada once sent me several spent Snider bullets pictured here. They were recovered from Lake Ontario where it was the general practice for Snider-equipped Canadian troops to shoot at floating targets. This is an earlier form of the Snider bullet that features a wooden plug in the nose cavity. The clay plugs in the hollow skirts are clearly visible."

 

[BioProfessor]

It would be interesting to know if the wood is "treated" with beeswax. If it is, it should still have a slick feeling or "polish" when rubbed. If they were soaked in Beeswax, then this might be a new piece of information about the bullets. When I read the piece you were quoting, they didn't mention that. So maybe a good find and a new discovery all at the same time.

Daryl